Idea 12of 22Builds onAdd, then divide by how many
A zero still counts
Does a 0 change the mean?
Today you'll discover
- why a 0 adds nothing but still counts
- what to divide by
Think firstGoals in four games: 0, 4, 5, 7
What is the mean number of goals per game?
Decide first, then press Next. Count every game, even the empty one.
Four stacks of goals: 0 (a flat line), 4, 5 and 7. Then the working 0 + 4 + 5 + 7 = 16 and 16 ÷ 4 games = 4 each, with every stack level at 4. Then pieces from the 5 and 7 slide onto the empty game. The last step shows baskets of 0, 3, 0 and 5.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
A 0 adds nothing to the total, but it still counts when you divide.
With and withoutWith the 0: 16 ÷ 4 = 4 goals a game. Without it: 16 ÷ 3, about 5.3, which tells a story that is too good.
Key word
- zero value
- a value of 0 in a data set; it adds nothing to the total but still counts as one value
Ready to use it?
- Find a mean when some values are 0.